AT this time of year it is traditional to reflect on the comings and goings of the past 12 months. (From Warrington Guardian)

AT this time of year it is traditional to reflect on the comings and goings of the past 12 months.

With Dave Lawrenson

The highlight of my year on a personal level was getting engaged to my dream girl from high school but I'm sure that you sports fans don't want me to harp on about that.

So instead I'm going to focus on my most memorable moment of the sporting year.

There have been many contenders - not least Matthew Pinsent's tears after confirming himself as an Olympic legend, Ronnie O'Sullivan's snooker masterclass at the world championships, Kelly Holmes' dazzling double gold in Athens and Andrew Flintoff's all round brilliance in the England cricket team's long-awaited return to prominence.

But for me the high spot of the year was Greece's success at the European Football Championships.

No-one gave Greece a cat in hell's chance of getting beyond the first phase never mind winning the thing.

But their manful defending and never-say-die ethos turned the supposed no hopers into European champions.

Their prowess in Portugal shocked the footballing world and reaffirmed my faith in sporting upsets.

You see, I love nothing more than a rags to riches tale - my love of the Rocky films proves that.

But sporting upsets have been few and far between in recent years.

Just look at the FA Cup. The competition is synonymous with giant killing glory but gone are the days when lower league sides stood a chance against the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

The Premier League has also lost a lot of its glamour.

The same sides challenge for the title every year and the others are there for little more than to make up the numbers.

So it was a welcome relief to see Greece dispelling the myth that you need world class players to win a world class competition.

Don't get me wrong, I would have preferred to see England triumph in Greece, especially after Wayne Rooney proved what a gem of a player he is.

But Greece's success was the second best thing. As individuals, they were nothing to write home about but as a team they were immense. They claimed the scalps of several so-called global giants, including holders France and host

nation Portugal.

And Greece's frenzied celebrations following their 1-0 win in the showpiece final was a joy to behold - as was Christiano Ronaldo's boyish bawling.

The only down side to Greece's glory is that it seems to have inspired the Merseyside blues.

As a passionate Liverpool fan, success at Goodison Park is the last thing I want to see but they seem to have taken on Greece's mantle of excelling against the odds.

When I go through Everton's squad no one stands out as an 'I wish he played for Liverpool' player.

By all intents and purposes they should be battling against relegation - again - but credit where credit's due, the Everton players have done their club proud this year.

Hard work and team spirit goes a long way in this world.

I just hope that in Everton's case it doesn't last!